Global Patent Index - EP 0917024 A3

EP 0917024 A3 20000503 - Process cartridge

Title (en)

Process cartridge

Title (de)

Arbeitseinheit

Title (fr)

Unité de traitement

Publication

EP 0917024 A3 20000503 (EN)

Application

EP 98309144 A 19981109

Priority

US 97032097 A 19971114

Abstract (en)

[origin: US5778283A] An electrostatographic process cartridge detachably mountable into a cavity defined by mated modules forming parts of an electrostatographic reproduction machine. The process cartridge includes a housing having walls defining a partially enclosed process chamber; a rotatable cylindrical photoreceptive member mounted within a portion of the process chamber and to the walls. The photoreceptive member has a closed loop path within the process chamber and an image bearing surface for holding a formed toner image. The process cartridge also includes plural electrostatographic process toner image forming and transferring components located along the closed loop path for forming a toner image on, and for transferring such toner image from, the image bearing surface; and a cleaning subassembly located along the closed loop path downstream of the toner image forming and transferring components, for removing and transporting waste toner away from the image bearing surface. The cleaning subassembly includes a curved portion of the walls including a blade mounting surface having a plane forming a blade mounting angle with a tangent to the image bearing surface; a cleaning blade mounted to the mounting surface and having a cleaning edge contacting the image bearing surface at a desired cleaning angle for removing waste toner from the image bearing surface; a seal member mounted into contact with the image bearing surface at a point upstream of the cleaning blade so that the seal member, the blade, the image bearing surface and the curved portion of the walls, define the cleaning chamber; and a troughless waste toner transporting auger mounted for rotation without a trough and directly over the image bearing surface within the cleaning chamber for transporting and moving waste toner axially relative to the photoreceptive member and out of the cleaning chamber. The troughless auger has a first end, a second end, and a direction of waste toner movement over the image bearing surface from the first end to the second end a variable pitch for preventing image banding defects from undesirable waste toner accumulations.

IPC 1-7

G03G 21/18

IPC 8 full level

G03G 21/10 (2006.01); G03G 21/18 (2006.01)

CPC (source: EP US)

G03G 21/105 (2013.01 - EP US); G03G 21/1814 (2013.01 - EP US); G03G 2221/1624 (2013.01 - EP US); G03G 2221/1648 (2013.01 - EP US)

Citation (search report)

Designated contracting state (EPC)

AT BE CH CY DE DK ES FI FR GB GR IE IT LI LU MC NL PT SE

DOCDB simple family (publication)

US 5778283 A 19980707; BR 9804989 A 19991103; DE 69821720 D1 20040325; DE 69821720 T2 20040722; EP 0917024 A2 19990519; EP 0917024 A3 20000503; EP 0917024 B1 20040218; JP H11219089 A 19990810

DOCDB simple family (application)

US 97032097 A 19971114; BR 9804989 A 19981113; DE 69821720 T 19981109; EP 98309144 A 19981109; JP 31580098 A 19981106